信仰前进运动

欧文康考迪亚大学 has completed a comprehensive fundraising campaign, 筹集了超过1亿美元的学生奖学金, 校园的改进, 正规赌博十大平台排行, 的养老, 以及各种学术项目的支持. It represents a major milestone in the University’s history — 和 an achievement which defied most expectations.

“It was an ambitious comprehensive campaign with a goal that many thought was impossible,前任总统说。, Dr. Kurt Krueger帮助发起并命名了这项运动. 当我们凭着信心走出来，我们知道主会供应我们.”

八年前, CUI’s leadership began discussing the possibility of a fundraising effort that would encompass numerous significant goals. 蒂姆Jaeger, 进步副总裁, 市场推广及传播, 在他现在领导的先遣队工作了22年. Jaeger had the foresight — or perhaps the temerity — to propose a figure most people in that meeting found eye-popping.

“When the $85 million number was proposed, people thought we were crazy,” Jaeger recalls. “The number seemed so astronomical, so big, 和 it was unprecedented. 我们是一所相对年轻的大学. 这远远超过了我们以往的任何尝试.”

But the Advancement team had arrived at that goal with much forethought, 和 the broader leadership team acknowledged that CUI did indeed enjoys a growing base of committed supporters who were coming of age in their own careers. The $85 million certainly was a significant stretch — but was not entirely outside the realm of possibility.

“我们已经做好准备，满怀信心地迈出一步，做一些有意义的事情, 和 we felt we had donors 和 board members who were ready to come alongside us 和 reach beyond what we would normally consider,耶格说。. 

怀着更多的希望而不是确定性，团队设定了目标. 与, CUI embarked on a fundraising effort which far exceeded anything the institution had ever attempted. “It was a goal that would put us in a new league with larger private 和 public universities,总统说。, Dr. 迈克尔·托马斯。. 

也就是说，如果能够实现的话.

使命加倍

In its first step toward the goal, CUI zigged w在这里 other universities might have zagged. 

The “safe” step would have been to immediately construct a science building, 现在高等教育的重点是什么. 而是, CUI’s leaders 和 donors decided to invest in a gr和 flagship building which would anchor the campus both spiritually 和 physically in 神学 和 音乐 — the very foundations of a Lutheran education. Among the many people impressed by this choice was the then-prospective president, Dr. 迈克尔·托马斯。.

“我想，‘谁会这么做?’”托马斯回忆道。. “总统克鲁格, 内阁, regents 和 trustees did something other universities wouldn’t normally do: they doubled down on 肯考迪娅’s identity — its mission, 愿景, 和 values — 和 built a 神学 和 音乐 building full of classrooms, 实践的房间, 还有一个工业级别的录音室. Other universities might have built an engineering or science building (和 we’re going to do that at 肯考迪娅 Irvine!). 但是上帝使用那些相信使命的人, 愿景, 和 values of this University 和 prompted their hearts to erect a building which showcases 和 lifts up Christ College within the University. It says something that the most gorgeous building on our campus is dedicated to 音乐 和 神学.” 

While CUI is moving deliberately into the exp和ing fields of science — launching an 工程专业 今年秋天 计算机科学 两年前的学位——强调 音乐 和 神学 首先在一次大型筹款活动中发表了声明. 牧师. Dr. 史蒂夫·穆勒86年, 基督学院的首席宣教官和院长, 说重点放得很好, 鉴于康考迪亚大学在教育市场上的独特地位. 

“学生们, 教师, 和 supporters come to 肯考迪娅 for the culture 和 because we st和 for something,穆勒说。. “They are not just looking for a certain degree or a pretty campus, 但是对于一种特定的环境. This is a campus that underst和s its mission 和 has been steadfast. 我们是一所基督教大学, 献身于大使命, 我们欢迎任何愿意与我们交流的学生. We are true to who we are, which includes being hospitable, loving 和 merciful.” 

Mueller has been a member of the CUI campus community for 30 years, 首先是作为一名本科生, 然后是26年的教龄. 在这个社会日益分裂和两极化的时代, 康考迪亚提供了一个有原则的, 统一, 热情的氛围, 他说. 

“这里不一样，”穆勒说. “这里有一种关怀的文化. 每个人都很重要，而福音是它的核心. 我们提供了一条更好的出路. The more time people spend on campus, the more they see how true that is.” 

仍然, it was a move that put 肯考迪娅 Irvine in a distinct — 和 perhaps distinctive — place within higher education when most universities were prioritizing popular majors that would seem to ensure greater financial stability. 

对康科迪亚来说，这是在坚实基础上迈出的一步.

克服障碍

整个竞选活动都是建立在信仰的基础上的, 而且需要忠诚的奉献才能接近它的目标. Forward in 信仰 sought to impact the campus comprehensively in five main areas: 

• 一座新的音乐和神学大楼(Borl和-Manske中心)
• 正规赌博十大平台排行
• 年度基金
• 赌博十大平台排行 & 学生的经验
• A much-enlarged endowment to provide scholarships 和 programmatic support in perpetuity 

也许最大的障碍仅仅是学校的年龄. 肯考迪娅 Irvine is a relatively young institution, with an alumni base of just 23,000 people. The vast majority of its undergraduate alumni are under the age of 30 和 just entering their personal 和 professional prime. 

But Jaeger 和 others in the leadership 和 advancement teams sensed that “we had the beginnings of a new kind of giving culture.” “We had a community of volunteers 和 a growing number of opportunities for involvement. T在这里 were donors who were ready to step forward 和 do some significant things. 这是推动我们前进的基础.” 

运动的基本目标, 他们总是把它放在他们面前, 是尽可能让所有学生受益. This included scholarships, new buildings 和 facilities, program enhancements, 和 more. 校园社区反应热烈，给予支持, 和 what commenced in 2014 was a tremendous all-h和s-on-deck effort from teams across campus. 

院长和教职员工会写助学金. The 音乐 department 和 theater department were always t在这里 to support donor events. 每个人都全力以赴，”耶格尔说. “像这样的竞选需要一所大学, 和 the different members of our community partnered well together. 由于这些伙伴关系，我们开始实现我们的目标.” 

在最初的几年里, during which the Forward in 信仰 campaign remained in its “silent phase,” it became clear that it was attracting support across a wider-than-anticipated spectrum, 从开出10美元支票的人到捐赠数百万美元的人, 从老朋友到新捐赠者. 这个雄心勃勃的目标似乎开始变得可以实现了.

重要声明

很快, the building to house 音乐 和 神学 — dubbed Borl和-Manske中心 — began to rise up from the soil beside the CU Center. The massively impressive structure seemed to symbolize the rising strength of the University 和 the growing success of the campaign. 

“Borl和-Manske中心很漂亮, 功能, 也是给整个校园的一份厚礼,穆勒说。. “It provided a new 和 exciting hub for 神学, church vocations, 和 abbey west campus ministry. 它的教室供所有专业的学生使用. 当它诞生的时候, it was a practical 和 profound fulfillment of 肯考迪娅’s mission 和 ministry.” 

与此同时, the campaign was firing on all cylinders as people stepped forward to demonstrate “amazing generosity,穆勒说。. 

“看到上帝所做的一切真是令人震惊, 和 the huge step forward this was going to be for 肯考迪娅 Irvine,他说. “God was clearly at work through a bunch of people with a big 愿景.” 

That was reflected not least in the growth of 的养老 which, 因为有远见的捐赠者, swelled nearly threefold from $14 million to $44 million in just a few years. This immediately began empowering scholarships of all kinds 和 putting CUI at a new level of long-term strength, not just financially but in its ability to attract top students 和 athletes. 

穆勒说:“我可以在上面画上人脸。. “我开始看到钱在起作用, in students I’m not sure would have been at 肯考迪娅 without the scholarships that are funded by endowments from the Forward in 信仰 campaign.” 

不仅如此, 还有Borl和-Manske中心, 一个价值3000万美元的建筑, 在没有任何长期债务的情况下于2019年完工. 

“To be in higher education 和 to build a building with no debt — it’s really remarkable,耶格尔说。.

最终结果

2020年1月, Forward in 信仰 quietly passed its original goal — the one which some probably considered wishful thinking early on. 然后, 在一次极不寻常的, p和emic-ravaged年, 运动的势头继续发展, 结果总共有100美元,057,784.05 given by donors in various ways 和 for various causes — right down to the nickel. 

“The numbers speak to tremendous donor loyalty 和 people believing in our mission,耶格说。. “康考迪亚大家庭正在一起实现伟大的事业, 这对学生和未来几代人都有影响.” 

为博士. 托马斯，有一个数字很特别，一万. 

“对我来说, 是大于10的,000个人捐赠者，这真的很惊人,他说, referring to the number of individuals 和/or families who supported Forward in 信仰. “It means we have such broad-based support 和 groups of people giving everything from $5 to $10 to the larger donations. 你 don’t get to $100 million with 10,000 individual donors without a lot of buy-in. Ten thous和 people have bought in to the mission 和 values of this place, 并且愿意把他们的钱投入其中.” 

Over half of those 10,000 donors were first time givers to 肯考迪娅 Irvine. 七个家庭制作了价值超过百万美元的礼物. More than 30 new endowments were established through Forward in 信仰. More than 130 individuals or families put 肯考迪娅 in their estate plans.

这些统计数据描述了一个充满活力和自信的社区, coming together to support an unprecedented effort to move into a new era of Lutheran education.

学生，真正的赢家

对学生来说，好处是立竿见影的. 

“向有经济需要的学生敞开大门, we have to be able to supply them with scholarships so they can access an undergraduate residential campus,托马斯说. “奖学金使这成为可能. 一个健壮的, permanent endowment spins off a certain amount of proceeds annually; t在这里fore we can in perpetuity award that money as scholarships to students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend.” 

亚历克Leissring, 我是今年五月毕业的英语专业学生, was able to attend CUI specifically because of an endowed scholarship. 

Alec has served in student leadership as men’s ministry coordinator for men’s campus ministry. “我很感激人们的慷慨.”

Joseph Navarro, who manages a job skills program in Los Angeles County, earned his 学校咨询教育学硕士学位 从崔. 一项奖学金使他得以进入 EdD程序 就在去年. Navarro is an experienced leader in counseling 和 works with at-risk young men 和 women. 

作为第一代大学生, Navarro is rewriting his family legacy by escaping the poverty 和 crime so prevalent in the East L.A. 他长大的地方. 现在, 他创立并领导了干预项目, 创办了一家与教育相关的公司, 和 teaches parenting classes in addition to managing the job program. CUI’s doctorate program has introduced him to concepts he uses at his job every day, 管理员工, 创建政策, 战略性规划, 他说. 

“我是一个完全的倡导者，”他说. “我一生致力于指导年轻男女.” 

哈Pakbaten came to CUI four years ago from Iran on a tennis scholarship 和 was named Freshman of the Year for the entire PacWest conference, 在全国NCAA第二赛区排名第九. 她将于今年五月毕业，并获得学士学位 业务. 

“自从搬到美国后，我成长了很多.S. 作为一个吓坏了的18岁女孩，”她说. “从一开始，我就得到了很多支持. 大学服务处的人, 我工作的地方, 他们就像我的父母吗, 帮我渡过难关. 我的队友和教练都很欢迎我. 他们使我很容易适应新的文化. 肯考迪娅 has high-quality people, I think because it’s a Christian school. 人们是忠诚的，互相帮助的.” 

另一位奖学金获得者索菲亚·弗洛雷斯(索菲娅弗洛)是一名学生 音乐专业的 from Sacramento, says she has never experienced such a loving 和 Christ-like community as at CUI. 

“作为一名音乐系学生, 我考虑上专业更大的大学, 但当我参观了崔, I immediately knew that the 音乐 教师 would continuously give me new opportunities 和 challenges to best prepare me for my future as a 音乐 teacher,她说。. “The best part of my experience has been the loving community of 教师 和 students. The encouragement I receive from my professors 和 peers has been crucial to my growth as a 音乐ian 和 keeping my 音乐al experiences Christ-centered.” 

Sophia is convinced that “the remarkable level of 音乐ianship is largely due to CUI being an intentional place for Christ-like love 和 community.”

更光明的未来

As the University leadership reflects on what Forward in 信仰 accomplished, 他们还展望了竞选活动所带来的未来. Dr. 托马斯说，对他来说，“感激”这个词概括了这一切.” 

“I’m grateful to the leaders that came before — Kurt Krueger 和 the team he assembled who built 和 nurtured the relationships it takes to bring in that kind of philanthropy,托马斯说. “In the end, it’s not so much about the money but about carrying out our mission for students. It signals the strength 和 commitment of the community that supports this university so we can keep providing a top-notch Lutheran education to deserving students.” 

Jaeger says the campus community at CUI is profoundly grateful to all friends, 捐助者和支持者, 包括竞选内阁, 是谁让看似不可能的事情成为可能, 为大学未来取得更大成功奠定了基础. 

“我们仍在从中积累力量，”他说. “越来越多的人了解康科迪亚和我们的使命, 所以我们要让更多的人加入我们的家庭. 我们拿着接力棒，在我们的时间里奔跑. 而是要忠于我们的使命, 从未动摇, 并始终爱护和关心我们的学生, 教师, 工作人员, 捐赠者和朋友.”